Crown molding with improved mounting surfaces

ABSTRACT

A crown molding unit for engagement with a ceiling surface and an adjacent wall surface of a room has a first surface positioned for flush contact with a ceiling surface and simultaneously, a second surface positioned for flush contact with a wall surface. Each of the first and the second surfaces provide a plurality of side-by-side parallel longitudinal grooves and a plurality of side-by-side parallel lateral grooves, the lateral grooves lie orthogonal to the longitudinal grooves and converge to a depression in the apparatus.

BACKGROUND

1. Related Applications

This application is a Continuation In Part Application of a prior filed application having serial number 10359381 and filing date of Feb. 5, 2003 and entitled: Wall Molding Mounting Structure And Method; and is related to serial number 10810936 filed on Mar. 26, 2004.

2. Field of the Present Disclosure

This disclosure relates generally to crown molding systems for the improvement of appearance and decoration of interior living spaces, and more particularly to a crown molding system having improved installation and durability features.

3. Description of Related Art

The following art defines the present state of this field and each disclosure is hereby incorporated herein by reference:

Reeves et al., U.S. 2002/0050104, discloses a eave closure for tile roofing has a nailing flange having a surface extending along a length of the closure, a planar riser potion contiguous with the nailing flange at an angle to the surface of the nailing flange, the riser portion conforming on an upper edge to the shape of the underside of adjacent installed tiles, and a lip reinforcement along the shaped upper edge of the riser portion, the lip extending substantially at a right angle to the plane of the riser portion. In some embodiments the nailing flange has weep passages formed along a width of the flange, such that air may circulate between inside and outside an installed closure. In some of these embodiments the weep passages are grooves formed in the width of the nailing flange and following a center line, with at least one change in direction across the width of the nailing flange. In preferred embodiments the material for molding is a UV-resistance polymer material

Hahn, U.S. 2003/0014931, discloses a plaster crown molding tile that has an upright body portion providing a front decorative surface and, in opposition thereto, a rear wall-engaging surface. Integral with the body portion, a topper portion extends angularly upwardly. The wall-engaging surface provides spaced apart horizontally oriented planar strips and between the strips plural grooves spaced apart by ribs. Peaks of the ribs define a first selected depth relative to the horizontal strips, and valleys of the grooves define a second selected depth relative to the horizontal strips. These surface features enable the tile to be more easily shaved to a desired depth for custom fitting the tile for improved butt seams.

Hahn, 2003/0115813, discloses a plaster crown molding tile and a base support foundation beam provide mating nesting surfaces such that with the beam mounted to a wall surface, the tile may be placed securely onto the beam. A space is provided for a lighting fixture between the beam and the tile. Preferably, the nesting surfaces comprise orthogonal surfaces.

Bonnell, U.S. Pat. No. 2,114,044, discloses a new article of manufacture, an extruded metallic corner strip form mounting wall panels, comprising a pair of longitudinally extending plate-like wings disposed in planes substantially 90 degrees apart, a transverse web integrally and rigidly uniting the wings contiguous to their adjoining edges, the web being provided with a curved outer surface extending the full length of the wings, flanges formed with the outer longitudinal edge portions of the web and spaced from the wings to produce longitudinal grooves for the reception of the vertical edge portions of wall panels, the ribs being inwardly spaced from the outer longitudinal edges of the wings so that when the panels are positioned in the grooves, the major portion of the wings will be concealed from exterior view, the inner portions of the wings and web being provided with longitudinally extending weight diminishing slots and a detachable cap member being formed with an attaching shank received within one of the slots.

Gallo, U.S. Pat. No. 3,365,854, discloses an anchoring device particularly suitable for anchoring members such as moldings to a wall and comprising; an anchor plate adapted for being fixed to a wall, spaced parallel slits in the plate, an engagement bar adjacent to the plate and extending transversely to the slits, the bar being substantially trapezoidal in cross sectional shape with the smaller base of the trapezoid near the plate and the larger base thereof remote from the plate, and a fastening means secured to the bar and projecting through the slits and having heads thereon on their outer ends to secure the bar to the plate while permitting the bar to slide on the plate in the direction of the length of the slits, the trapezoidal shape of the bar adapting it for engagement with a dovetail groove in the member to be mounted on the wall to which the plate is fixed.

Smith, U.S. Pat. No. 4,052,830, discloses an invention that relates to a corner fillet by which is meant members which are adapted to lie across and occupy corners of, for example, rooms where a floor joins a wall or a skirting board attached to the wall, the corner fillet being used to screen or conceal the edge of the carpet laid on the floor, or to properly finish off the floor/wall joint so as to enhance its appearance. A corner fillet according to the invention is also usable as a glazing strip in place of the conventional glazing systems using putty or beading. Other uses of a corner fillet according to the invention will become apparent from the following description.

Loos, U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,753, discloses an elongated molding for covering the corner at the junction of a wall and a ceiling that has a pair of longitudinally extending margins each of which is provided with a recess. Both recesses are bordered by a pair of longitudinal surface portions, and the surface portions flanking one recess are to abut or be bonded to the wall while the surface portions flanking the other recess are to abut or be bonded to the ceiling. The molding has a front side which is to face away from the wall and the ceiling, and the surface portion of each pair nearest the front side adjoins a bevel which is located between the respective surface portion and the front side. The molding is bonded to the wall and the ceiling by joint compound or spackling compound placed in the recesses. The bevels define gaps with the wall and the ceiling, respectively, and such gaps are filled with joint compound or spackling compound to enhance bonding. A plaster coating may be run in place on the molding and the molding is then provided with guide surfaces for the shaping tool which contours the coating. The front side of the molding can be formed with anchoring elements for the coating.

Hahn, U.S. Pat. No. 6,228,507 describes a prefabricated crown molding strip designed to facilitate one-person installation and composed of plaster that is reinforced by two layers of fiber reinforcement, one of bulk fiberglass intermixed throughout the outer portion of the strip and the ornamentation thereon and a second of a sheet of fiberglass netting generally centrally located as a spine in the strip and substantially coextensive therewith. Two side surfaces of the strip are disposed generally in perpendicular planes for engagement with a wall and a ceiling, and have patterns of longitudinally extending ribs and grooves of predetermined depths for facilitating adhesive mounting of the strip, and also facilitating selective removal of plaster to accommodate irregularities on supporting surfaces. Pre-formed nail holes are molded in preselected nailing locations. Also the method of making crown molding strips in steps providing the above characteristics, in a sequence of pours of plaster in fluid state, the addition of the reinforcing fiber, and formation of the patterns of ribs and grooves.

Our prior art search with abstracts described above teaches molding systems with longitudinal grooves, but fails to teach a lateral groove system used with the prior art longitudinal grooves. The present disclosure teaches such cross groove systems distinguishing over the prior art and providing heretofore unknown advantages as described in the following summary.

SUMMARY

This disclosure teaches certain benefits in construction and use which give rise to the objectives described below.

Crown molding strips are manufactured in a wide range of sizes, decorative styles, and are made of various materials. Common materials are wood, plaster and plastics. However, the installation and durability of such crown moldings suffer from three deficiencies; first standard moldings, even those with longitudinal grooves do not have adequate groove structure for uniformly spreading bonding agents, as such agents need to be able to move laterally on the contact surface as well as longitudinally, second wall and ceiling surfaces often have rough textures and the use of longitudinal grooves only often results in the grooves sitting up on such textures so that added manicuring must be attended to in order to fill all gaps around the molding, and finally, it has been found that dual orthogonal grooves has the effect of retarding shrinkage of the molding, which is often a major cause for concern.

A crown molding unit for engagement with a ceiling surface and an adjacent wall surface of a room has a first surface positioned for flush contact with a ceiling surface and simultaneously, a second surface positioned for flush contact with a wall surface. Each of the first and the second surfaces provide a plurality of side-by-side parallel longitudinal grooves and a plurality of side-by-side parallel lateral grooves, the lateral grooves lie orthogonal to the longitudinal grooves and converge to a depression in the apparatus.

A primary objective inherent in the above described apparatus and method of use is to provide advantages not taught by the prior art.

Another objective is to provide a crown molding having surfaces that conduct bonding agents both longitudinally and laterally as the molding is applied to wall and ceiling surfaces.

A further objective is to provide such a molding having grooves on its contact surfaces configured for conducing a fluid bonding agent preferentially.

A still further objective is to provide such a molding having significant groove depth for accepting textured mounting surfaces so that the molding sits intimately against the mounting surfaces.

A yet further objective is to provide such a molding that is able to retard shrinkage of the unit after installation.

Other features and advantages of the described apparatus and method of use will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the presently described apparatus and method of its use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate at least one of the best mode embodiments of the present apparatus and method of it use. In such drawings:

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of an embodiment of the present apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a frontal perspective view thereof shown mounted against a ceiling and a wall surfaces; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along cutting plane line 3-3 in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The above described drawing figures illustrate the described apparatus and its method of use in at least one of its preferred, best mode embodiment, which is further defined in detail in the following description. Those having ordinary skill in the art may be able to make alterations and modifications what is described herein without departing from its spirit and scope. Therefore, it must be understood that what is illustrated is set forth only for the purposes of example and that it should not be taken as a limitation in the scope of the present apparatus and method of use.

The apparatus described below and shown in the accompanying drawing figures is a crown molding which is mounted at the intersection of a ceiling surface 10 and an adjacent wall surface 20 of a room, as is well known in the art. The apparatus is preferably a molded unit 30 made of plaster or plastic materials and having a length “L”, shown in FIG. 2, establishing a longitudinal direction of the unit 30, and a width “W” establishing a lateral direction of the unit 30 as seen in FIG. 1. Preferably, the length “L” is much greater then the width “W”, with a length “L” typically 8 to 12 feet and a width “W” of only 6 to 10 inches. In the following, any direction that is orthogonal to longitudinal directions is a lateral direction as defined herein. Other dimensions and sizes of crown moldings will be recognized by those of skill in the art as being obvious substitutions for the presently described molding. In the figures, the unit 30 is shown as having a relatively short length for clarity only. Clearly, other parts of such a crown molding system including short joiner pieces, outside corner pieces and inside corner pieces, as well as specialty parts, may be constructed in accordance with the present description and achieve the same advantages as for the long sections which form the bulk of a crown molding system.

The figures and descriptions herein address the long strips of crown molding but one of skill will know how to adapt the novel features described to all of the typical parts of a crown molding system.

The unit 30 has an outside decorative surface 40 and an opposing rear surface 50 part of which is used to mount the unit 30 to the ceiling 10 and wall 20 surfaces. A first surface 32, part of the rear surface 50, is positioned for flush contact with the ceiling surface 10 and a second surface 34, again, part of rear surface 50, is positioned for flush contact with wall surface 20. The unit 30 may include either surface 32 or surface 34 or both, but when both are present, the benefits of the present apparatus are maximized.

In the following, both surfaces 32 and 34 are described as having the advantageous features of the present apparatus. Each of these surfaces provide a plurality of side-by-side parallel longitudinal grooves 56, and a plurality of side-by-side parallel lateral grooves 58, the lateral grooves 58 orthogonal to the longitudinal grooves 56. This is clearly illustrated in FIG. 1.

The laterally directed second grooves 58 each provide a uniformly varying groove width and this groove width converges toward an outside edge 60 of the apparatus. Grooves 58, as shown in FIG. 1, have surfaces 37. It should be noticed that these surfaces 37 are placed below the corresponding surfaces of grooves 56, i.e., they have a greater depth. When bonding agent hardens in grooves 58 it tends to retard shrinkage of the apparatus in that it prevents movement of those portions with grooves 56 toward each other as the apparatus in general tends to shrink. This minimizes shrinkage especially at the interface of the apparatus with ceiling 10 and wall 20 surfaces, where such localized shrinkage is normally the cause of debonding.

In use, the crown molding apparatus 30 described here is cut to length, in a typical installation, and a bonding agent is applied to surfaces 32 and 34 and within grooves 56 and 58. Next, the apparatus is pressed into place with surface 32 pressed against the ceiling surface 10, and surface 34 pressed against the wall surface 20. As pressure is applied the bonding agent tends to spread out on surfaces 32 and 34 and travels within grooves 56 and 58. It is desired to prevent bonding agent from spilling onto edges 60, and this is accomplished in that the convergent conformation of grooves 58 tend to direct excessive 5 bonding agent away from edges 60. Also, to insure that bonding agent is not able to move onto edges 60 depressions 36 tend to accumulate and catch excessive bonding agent that may travel toward the edges 60, thereby preventing spill-out. The longitudinal grooves 56 tend to permit excessive bonding agent to travel longitudinally and to distribute itself evenly.

The enablements described in detail above are considered novel over the prior art of record and are considered critical to the operation of at least one aspect of the apparatus and its method of use and to the achievement of the above described objectives. The words used in this specification to describe the instant embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of their commonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition in this specification: structure, material or acts beyond the scope of the commonly defined meanings. Thus if an element can be understood in the context of this specification as including more than one meaning, then its use must be understood as being generic to all possible meanings supported by the specification and by the word or words describing the element.

The definitions of the words or drawing elements described herein are meant to include not only the combination of elements which are literally set forth, but all equivalent structure, material or acts for performing substantially the same function in substantially the same way to obtain substantially the same result. In this sense it is therefore contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or more elements may be made for any one of the elements described and its various embodiments or that a single element may be substituted for two or more elements in a claim.

Changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalents within the scope intended and its various embodiments. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements. This disclosure is thus meant to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, what can be obviously substituted, and also what incorporates the essential ideas.

The scope of this description is to be interpreted only in conjunction with the appended claims and it is made clear, here, that each named inventor believes that the claimed subject matter is what is intended to be patented. 

1. A crown molding apparatus for engagement with a ceiling surface and an adjacent wall surface, the apparatus comprising: an integral unit having a length establishing a longitudinal direction of the apparatus, lateral directions of the apparatus defined as orthogonal to the longitudinal direction; the unit further having a first surface for contact with the ceiling surface; the first surface interrupted by a plurality of longitudinally directed first grooves and a plurality of laterally directed second grooves; the laterally directed second grooves each providing a uniformly varying groove width and a depth greater then the first grooves.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the uniform variance of the second grooves converges toward an outside edge of the apparatus.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein each of the second grooves provides a depression adjacent the outside edge.
 4. A crown molding apparatus for engagement with a ceiling surface and an adjacent wall surface, the apparatus comprising: an integral unit having a length establishing a longitudinal direction of the apparatus, lateral directions of the apparatus defined as orthogonal to the longitudinal direction; the unit further having a second surface for contact with the wall surface; the second surface interrupted by a plurality of longitudinally directed first grooves and a plurality of laterally directed second grooves; the laterally directed second grooves each providing a uniformly varying groove width and a depth greater then the first grooves.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the uniform variance of the second grooves converges toward an outside edge of the apparatus.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein each of the second grooves provides a depression adjacent the outside edge.
 7. A crown molding apparatus for engagement with a ceiling surface and an adjacent wall surface, the apparatus comprising: an integral unit having a length establishing a longitudinal direction of the apparatus, lateral directions of the apparatus defined as orthogonal to the longitudinal direction; the unit further having a first surface for contact with the ceiling surface and a second surface for contact with the wall surface; the each of the first and second surfaces interrupted by a plurality of longitudinally directed first grooves and a plurality of laterally directed second grooves; the laterally directed second grooves each providing a uniformly varying groove width and a depth greater then the first grooves.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the uniform variance of the second grooves converges toward an outside edge of the apparatus.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein each of the second grooves provides a depression adjacent an outside edge of the apparatus. 